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Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.
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Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- To make orange sauce:
- In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
- To make chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
- Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
- Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!
I used a sugar substitute, omitted the pepper flakes and sprinkled sesame seeds on it. It was fantastic!!
Will definitely be making again.
Thank you for sharing.
Can I have the name of the sugar substitute you used. And how much?
I thought this was good, but needed to almost double the amount of cornstarch and flour for breading.
Awesome! I love cheesecake factories chicken and this came out just as good.. can’t believe I made something this good but the recipe was clear concise and easy! Thank you.
My family loved this recipe. The sauce is really flavorful. I added an extra 1/2 teaspoon graded fresh ginger to the sauce and marinated the chicken in a little orange juice and soy sauce and more ginger for added flavor while I was making the sauce and preparing the rest of the recipe. The only recommendation I would make would be to include how much of the fresh garlic and orange zest in measurement as both of these things can come in a variety of sizes. My garlic was tiny so I used more.
Made this with precooked Chicken Nuggets last night with rice, Going to try it with Fish Sticks tonight!!! So GOOD!!!
This is the BEST Orange Chicken ever!!! Fantastic Securite Sauce!!! Can use this recipe with any meat or fish with rice… Mahalo
this is the best Orange Chicken I’ve ever tasted, better than most restaurants. I used fresh squeezed OJ it was delish.
I totally agree I so never order orange chicken anywhere again because this is by far the best!!! Thank you so much!! Haha this saves us so much money!! And so easy!!!!
I love it too!!!!
I love to cook and chinese food has always intimidated me. I have tried other orange chicken recipes and they never turn out or seem far to vinegary. I didn’t have orange juice but I did have a bag of cuties! Took me a few to reach that one cup LOL BUT I can honestly say this is by far the best and only orange chicken recipe I will ever use! It tasted like a restaurant quality dish and made me feel so proud!!! Thank you for sharing your amazing dishes!
Amazing meal recipe!!!
I made this tonight since we couldn’t find any frozen at our local store. It was surprisingly delicious! It is better than the store bought and not too hard. I am a novice at frying chicken so it took me more time than I wanted, but it turned out awesome!